performance-reviews

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Performance Reviews
NOTE: Do NOT post your reviews in the discussion board for this page -- post them directly on this page itself (start below the line).

FORMAT


The format for this review should work as follows:

Name of Play [in Heading 1 style]
Name of theater company (or other performance group), Venue of the performance

Your name [in Heading 2 style]

Two paragraphs of 100-150 words each:
  • Anything you want to say about what you found interesting about the play in general, your experience in going to see it, whether you thought it successfully accomplished what it set out to accomplish, etc.
  • Something that relates what you saw back to something we have talked about in class.

If someone else has already seen the same play and reviewed in on this wiki, you don't need to recreated the "name of play" and "name of theater company/venue" line. Just start from the "Your name" and add your review under theirs.

Once in a Lifetime

Greendale High School

Tayaba Ahmad


Greendale High School’s presents the 2011 Fall Play, Once in a Lifetime, by Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman, a spoof of Hollywood in the 1920s.
This is a knockabout satiric tale of three on-the-skids vaudeville troupers Jerry, May and George, who decide to head for Hollywood and try their luck at the newest craze: talkies. After a hilarious series of consistent blunders, the unassuming George is carried to fame and fortune becoming (for a short time, at least) a captain of The Industry.
The play was performed enjoyably by the cast who displayed enduring dedication to their characters. The leading actress commitment to details made her the stand out female of the night. George Lewis was the prominent male lead, using his sarcastic wit and absent-mindedness to bring laughter to the audience.
Two supporting characters the audience fancied were Susan Walker and Rudolph Kammerling. Walker’s role as the eager, fun-loving, actress wannabe made her a giggle to watch throughout the entire performance. Kammerling’s role as a German director was hilarious, his ridiculous accent and whimsical mannerisms made the audience laugh to the point of tears.
Although some actors were hard to understand at some points, their commitment to the show kept the audience’s attention and made the story run smoothly.
The set was simple and manageable, and although there were some problems, they were quickly overcome and did not hinder the actors’ performances. The lighting, too, was simple but brought a distinctively realistic effect, along with the sound, to the two train scenes. The set, lighting, and sound complimented each other nicely for a charming performance.
Overall, Greendale High School’s rendition of Once in a Lifetime brought laughter and fun to the audience making it a wonderfully entertaining night.

Dracula

Greendale High School

Tayaba Ahmad

What if you were promised eternal life and instead got eternal un-death? At Greendale High School’s performance of Dracula, unsuspecting, innocent men and women were finding themselves drawn to the intoxicating coercion of Count Dracula of Transylvania.

The play Dracula is based on the novel by Bram Stoker written in 1897. Poor Jonathan Harker, is under the impression that he is just making an innocent business transaction with the Count Dracula but the Count has conflicting plans. Harker finds himself prisoner in the Count’s massive labyrinth of a castle, and unable to contact his fiancée Lucy Westenra who awaits him. Lucy’s wanderings lead her to the Count who seduces her. Even Mina Murray cannot help her best friend as the story becomes more twisted and complicated.

The technical effects of the show served well to draw the show together. The lighting never changed without a reason; sounds, such as knocking, were executed on cue. Together, the entire crew made the show go smoothly.

Dracula’s wives filled their small roles to the fullest, from their abrupt introduction to their dramatic deaths. Also there was some strategically placed humor into the serious and sinister show. Professor Van Helsing’s accent, remained remarkably consistent throughout.

In designing the set they did a good job to well to distinguish between the wide variety of settings that take place, from bedroom to doctor’s office. To cover complicated set changes, each blackout was accompanied by dramatic music which helped set the mood. The sound and lighting crews complemented each other well, and did not leave awkward pauses between scenes and music. The lighting was effectively designed to isolate parts of the stage, so that the scene was confined to an area more appropriately sized for the scene than lighting the whole stage with action only taking place in one corner.

Greendale High School’s production of Dracula flowed with a few minor mishaps in scene flow and diction, but captured the complex love story clearly and coherently. Overall it was an amazing show, and all the actors did a fantastic job, I didn’t even feel that I was watching a high school production.

Santa Claus at my Family Christmas

The Menasha Nature Center

Carly Marwitz


Every year since I can remember we have had the same guy be Santa Claus at our big family Christmas Event and each year he adds something new to his repertoire. This year he brought not only his wife dressed up as Mrs. Claus but he had the parents and older kids like myself participate in the illusion. Of course we had to supply presents for the littler kids for him but we snuck them out way ahead of time so that none of the little kids could have seen them. I have to say though he looks eerily like a picture book Santa Claus naturally I have noticed he only has four fingers on his left hand and he even has specially made gloves to play Santa that fit only those four. I don’t know about you but I never heard about a nine fingered Santa, but oh well. Then as he left through the back we had someone from the center show us to the small second story so we could play a recording of stomps and then him taking off with a jingle on his sled. I thought it was really sweet because the littlest kids really believed it was Santa Claus and were filled with this sort of awe while the adults looked on indulgently, even when forced to sit on his lap themselves (me included).

Throughout “Santa” being there it was all very realistic for the kids even when the adults had more of an anti-illusionist one. The kids saw the real Santa Claus with a white beard, pot-belly, and kids suit loaded to bear with presents. While the adults saw the friend of the family that laughed when the kids pulled their parents over to Santa.The costuming was as authenitic as it could get with a nice velvet burgundy suit with real fur trimmings and leather belt and boots, even the "Santa" was naturally a nice, fat, old man. Incorporating the sounds and group participation that we believed in this performance really made this whole experience effective.


Thankful for the Begining.

The United Baptist Church Drama Ministry.

Jasmine Mack


The drama ministry at UBC has always been dear to my heart. Annually, I dance in their “Passion Play” on Palm Sunday. I was happy to hear that they were going to be putting on a production while I was in town during the Thanksgiving break. The individual in the drama ministry are members of the church who have usually had little to no theatre background. The director of the ministry happens to have a degree in theatre from the University of Chicago. This particular production plot was placed around an older lady teaching her ungrateful grand children about how to appreciate the little things in life rather than focusing on all of the material things they wished they had but didn’t at that present moment. I loved it. It’s funny because I actually did some self-reflecting after I saw how the grandmother told stories of how she use to have nothing growing up as a black girl in Mississippi picking cotton, and still found joy in the small things like fishing in the river. I am always so surprised to see how convincing and professional the cast always seem to come across especially with no professional training.

This play reminded me of a Plautine comedy in the sense that there wasn’t an elaborate background to show different scenes in the play. In fact, there wasn’t even a back drop due s to the fact that the plays are conducted in the sanctuary of the church (not in the pool pit of course). Also the props were put to a minimum. Only the necessary props such as chairs, tables, cotton picking bags, cotton etc. were scene. The acting had to carry along the plays entertainment. Luckily, the acting was great and the message was portrayed through the actors to the audience.


Next to Normal

The Milwaukee Rep, Quadracci Powerhouse

Tim Braun

Last night I went to the opening of Next to Normal. It was fantastic. I saw the musical last year when it was on the national Broadway tour and this production done by the Rep exceeded my already high expectations. The show is incredibly hard to describe because it covers so many different topics: love, loss, family, fitting in, mental illness, societal expectations, drug use. Basically, the show is about a family: Diana, Dan and their daughter Natalie. Sixteen years ago their infant son Gabe died of medical complications. After the loss of her son, Diana mentally breaks down; she was diagnosed with trauma on set depression. When we meet Diana in the show, she still believed Gabe is alive and she is haunted by a sixteen year old version of him.

The show sounds very depressing, but the characters and music are so full of life and love. It is a rock score; the songs are incredibly contemporary and catchy. This production was a success on so many different levels; it captured the energy of the music and sucked the audience in from the first note.

If I had to place this production in a category, I would say that it is expressionist. The lighting plays a huge part in this. For example, whenever Diana talks to her dead son, the lights are red; it expresses the feeling panic and confusion. Diana knows that it is not okay for her to have these delusions but she feeds into it anyway. The set was also very expressionistic; it was a shell of a house made out of scaffolding; this represented the lack of love and security in the house. Overall, this was an amazing performance.

Streetlight Manifesto/Reel Big Fish

The Rave/Eagles Ballroom, Milwaukee WI

Elizabeth Lenchek

Streetlight Manifesto and Reel Big Fish are popular ska bands. I had seen Reel Big Fish twice before, and had never been disappointed in their performances. Last night was no different. Ska music is unique in that the audience always becomes extremely engaged in the performance. At any ska concert there is a great deal of "skanking," a form of dancing almost exclusive to ska music, and circle pits. This concert was no different in that regard, however, there were more people at this venue than I had seen at almost any other concert, leading to multiple circle pits across the entire first floor. Despite the huge crowds, all of the bands successfully managed to keep the crowds interested and engaged at all points throughout the concert.

I think that on the Ludus vs. Paidia scale, this concert came nearly as close to paidia as it is possible to get. Although they undoubtedly planned out a set of songs to play, they freestyled much of what happened throughout the night, interacting with the crowd, and building on events and audience comments as they occurred. Essentially, the only rule made at this concert was to play a certain number of songs and to entertain their fans in whatever manner they saw fit. Although there is really no category of theater that this performance fit into, this performance, as well as their others, meet several of the criteria for play. There is evidence of agon in that they stated and made it quite clear that they enjoyed improving their performances and improving audience participation. Thus, they were competing with themselves in a way. They also relied somewhat on alea in that the personalities and number of people who were in the audience determined how successful their show might be. They were fortunate yesterday to have such huge amounts of excited ska fans content to skank the night away, which contributed to a very successful performance. Ilinx was created through the circle pits scattered throughout the floor. When you are inside of one, there really is a sense of a loss of control due to high speeds and the enthusiasm and determination of the people in the pit with you. I found this to be an extremely enjoyable and original performance.

The Music Man

Skylight Theater, Milwaukee WI

Elizabeth Lenchek

I took my little sister to see "The Music Man" at Skylight Theater because both of us had seen the movie and really enjoyed it. So, we thought it would be fun to see a live performance. We were both very impressed with it. I have always enjoyed the songs and dances in the movie, and definitely enjoyed it live as well. This was surprising because I was somewhat hesitant to go to see it, for I have enjoyed the movie for so long I felt that a live performance would not be able to live up to it. In high school, I saw a high school performance of this musical and, while good, it came off as almost a little over the top. The actors and actresses at Skylight Theater, however, did a very good job in their roles, and I thought that this play seemed very realistic.

This play was an excellent example of the genre "Musical Comedy" for several reasons. First of all, the actors were all very enthusiastic and were skilled at singing and dancing. The costumes and props were brightly colored, and the bright lighting made this quite obvious. Song and dance played an enormous role in this performance, and helped to show the emotions of the characters more clearly. Beyond that, the songs were enjoyable in and off themselves, and I think that the actors did a marvelous job performing songs and dances for what I am sure many members of the audience had high expectations. Although my sister and I had seen the movie beforehand, I do not think that this was necessary at all in order to enjoy this play. In fact, I think that it almost detracted from our enjoyment because we were constantly comparing the movie to the live performance, even in our evaluation of it as we left the theater.

The fact that I found most interesting about this performance is where it fell on the ludus-paedia scale. For example, if I had merely seen this performance without any background knowledge of the play, I would have thought it fell much closer to the paedia scale because all of the actors and actresses seemed to be freely expressing themselves, the amusing dialogue, and the enormous cast. However, I think that this particular performance fell closer to the ludus simply because they followed the rules of the original "Music Man" very closely, and did not allow for much personal interpretation. However, I think that this approach led to a better presentation of it, and therefore contributed to its success.

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

Woodstock Opera House, Woodstock, IL

Janie Ragsdale


My sister and I went to the Woodstock Opera House to see "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" and neither of us really knew what to expect beyond the obvious, and were excited to get into the Christmas spirit and see what played out on stage. We were surprised that it was in fact about the worst Christmas pageant anyone could imagine, at least at first, as it will be directed by the unlucky and unwilling Grace, who really can’t be blamed, because the cast is made up of the Herdman children, who are awful and behave like monsters. They do get hit by the Christmas spirit eventually but take on their pageant in a…non-traditional way, from dressing like superheroes instead of angels to bringing baby Jesus a ham. It was a fairly light and cute Holiday play that both my sister and I really enjoyed.

The Best Christmas Pageant ever sported a fairly large cast, with really young actors through some who were older, and they all put on a good show. They play has a very real feel to it, from the writing, to the staging, and acting. They all looked like average people you could imagine in this situation, particularly the children, who all felt very real in their roles, like kids you babysit once and then never again. The play’s plotline also felt very real and true to the way children, particularly badly behaved children, would want to run a Christmas play, how that would come to head with a teacher who wants to tear her hair out, and how it winds up being performed. It all felt like a scene taken straight out of a Sunday school you could have attended. It felt very authentic and true to life, while still managing to be a little ridiculous and out there, without taking the audience out of the story.


A Fireside Christmas

The Fireside Theater, Fort Atkinson, WI

Chelsea Kornacki


I have attended multiple shows at the Fireside Theater, two every year from the time I was in kindergarten. I have always been taken to see the Christmas show and one other show of my choice, in other words this was the sixteenth Christmas performance I have seen at the Fireside. Each year the performances are a little bit different. Sometimes they perform one play but more often than not, the performance is under the guise of a variety show as it was this year. After sixteen years of performances some elements are the same: there is always singing and dancing, a small cast of adorable kids, and a nativity scene (and I have always wanted to dance as an angel in this scene). This year, in between the majority of the songs, they gave a short background on the particular song or what musician made it popular. I thought this was a very interesting way to change the performance a bit. They also brought back the giant hippopotamus. I was slightly sad to see that this time it was not on roller skates (that was the highlight of the performance when I was about six… and the first time I have seen it back since).

One of the major goals of the Fireside Christmas performances is to engage the audience. The actors are constantly breaking the fourth wall. They make side comments to the audience as well as sit on audience members laps and shake their hands. While it didn’t occur this year, there have been many past performances where the actors brought audience members onto the stage with them (there was this one time when the actor and audience member were participating in a game of one-upmanship and the actor did a back handspring, the audience member just shook her head, I wanted to be up onstage because I knew actually doing that skill would have surprised the actor, as he wouldn’t have expected the average audience member to be a gymnast). As we have discussed in class, performing in front of a live audience adds a bit of unknown for the actors, they don’t always know what to expect. This is especially true when actively including members of the audience in the performance.



The Cure for Power

Rufus King One Act Play Festival

Nadiyah Johnson


The one act plays contained four different plays. These plays were written and produced by the students of the Rufus King High school. Each play was about 30 minutes. They involved very heavy issues from aids and politics, to the struggle of mental illness. Before each play began the director of the play introduced the play and described their experience while directing and writing the play. It was interesting to see how each play correlated with the personalities of the directors of the play.

I thought that it was a good choice for the students to show two consecutive plays and then have an intermission. I feel this helped each the actors and the stage people to prepare for the next two plays it also gave the audience time to reflect on the plays and to stretch .Without the intermission I feel that the audience would have became a little antsy. I noticed that in every play the director chose to have one main scene where everything occured because of the little time and space they had. I think that it was a good Idea for there to be different people in every play to keep things fresh and to keep the attention of the audience. Overall these plays were very interesting and entertaining and I’m glad I chose to see four thirty minute plays instead of the traditional two hour plays.

My favorite play was “The Cure for Power”. The setting of the play was in the White house in the year 2030. The plot involved two scientists finding the cure for aids and trying to convince the president to approve the medication all while the president struggled with his love of power. This play stood out to me because of the plot and the seriousness of the issue. Power is a very serious matter in politics today and it continues to hold progress on many issues in the world like world hunger and diseases. I found it interesting that the characters contrasted one another. One character was for the people and another was selfish and only concerned with their power. This play used very few props. The only prop that stood out to me was the American flag that hung in the background. This symbolized that the issues occuring in the play could be the future of America if we do not learn to how to balance the love of power and the love of people. I found this play to be the most moving.

Student Directed One-Act Plays

Nicolet Theater Students, Nicolet High School

Julianna Whaley


The Student Directed One-Act Plays was actually started at Nicolet by a few of my classmates. This series of plays premiered for the first time during my junior year at Nicolet in 2009. This type of play allows the students to design a mini play, pick their cast and direct their own play to show to the school. The play could be of any theme they wanted and could use props or no props at all. I particularly enjoy these plays because the directors usually put a part of themselves in the play. On top of that, the students who direct these plays really enjoy what they are doing, which leads to amazing performances and a relatable theme/plot.

Many of the mini plays were meant to be portrayals of daily life experiences that students run into in their daily life. One of my friends wrote her play about a previous experience in her life and her play really expressed and conveyed her as a person. I could never put my entire heart out on stage like she did and I admire her for that. Many had decided to turn theirs into comedies and there were a few that had serious themes. Each of the students really want you to submerse yourself into the play and make you feel like you are really in the setting they are describing. Most of the plays had very few props and settings so it really allowing your imagination to wander. I wouldn’t say the performances were illusionary, but I would say they were quite realistic in a sense.

Dracula

Milwaukee Ballet, Marcus Center

Julianna Whaley


I am not a big fan of plays but I especially loved this play because it was so successfully and artistically put together. It was slightly confusing at first because you were not aware of what was going on (simply because they don’t usually talk in Ballets). But as the play went on, I became more engrossed with the dancers and the movements. It flowed incredibly smoothly and used many amazing illusionary effects. I don’t know the story of Dracula myself, but they had a preview in the bulletin that explained a bit of the story. The plot was still a bit confusing by the end of the play, but I didn’t care. The beauty of the dancers is what entranced me and made me want to be a dancer myself.

This play definitely perfected the type of illusionary play we talked about in class. From the stage props that gave us the idea when the character was in a dream to the transformation from human to vampire. This play consisted of major props from lighting design to elaborate costumes and make up. Seeing the story itself is a fairy tale, I expected this to be an illusionary play, but since I have never seen anything greater than my own highschool and middle school performances, I didn’t think it would be as good as it was. They used different types of curtains and smoke as well as music that described every action they made (scared skreetches to happy bouncing notes). My favorite part of the play was near the end. I believe this is where the best illusion took place. The scenes was in a dark, blue and green gloomy dungeon where all the vampires meet during the day. Somehow the main character was down there looking for his love to try and save her. The floor and the walls began to move as if there was water pouring over them but as the scene progresses I realized that the floor or the ceiling wasn’t moving, but rather there were vampires crawling out of the walls and on the floor! I was really the most amazing thing I have ever seen.


It’s a Wonderful Life

Evergreen Theatre Ensemble, Center Stage Theatre (Naperville, IL)

Adam McMahon


This play was a unique adaption of the classic movie. It was performed live, on-stage, but in the style of a radio performance. The stage was set up (in a very realist fashion) as a 1940’s radio studio. The actual story, word for word, is played out on stage entirely though voice acting. However, the performing does not end when the performer has finished his or her line. Part of the performance came from the interaction of those on stage, those conducting sound effects, and the work of the producer. I initially thought that making “It’s a Wonderful Life” essentially a “story within a story” might be risky, but the focus stayed on the actual storyline, and the dynamics of the studio were merely a minor sideshow to the classic story. I had not been introduced this on-stage radio broadcast format, but I found it to be very entertaining, and in this case, well performed.

There were two major aspects of this performance that relate back to concepts we discussed in class. First of all, the style of the play almost carried a sort of verbatim theatre theme. While this story is obviously not based on a true story, the way this theatre company chose to perform it resembles verbatim theatre. Because the presentation was done entirely with voice roles, a few people were able to play a whole cast of characters. Additionally, they had to emphasize the speech of the characters in the play, so like “Twilight”, every “um” and stutter was emphasized. Secondly, the Realist form of set design was utilized in this production. Theoretically, the producers could have put a few microphones on stage; let the actors where what they wished, and the story still could have been told purely with voice acting. However, walking into the theatre was like walking into a 1940’s radio studio, and even the actors were dressed for the era. This unorthodox production captured the effect of the original story very well


Joesph and the Technicolored Dreamcoat

St. Theressa's Performing Arts Center, Community Theatre, Winona MN.

Ben Knuesel


I have actually seen this play a rather large amount of times. I have also seen the movie just as many times. Growing up and going to a catholic school all of my life really kind of made this a popular pick for teachers to play. Sadly, there was no other options for when I was at home for what was being performed, so this is what I had to work with. The thing that I found most interesting about this particular play was the way the setting and costumes were so much different than the other plays I had seen. This is the first time, out side of a movie, that I was able to watch older people participate in it. Mainly all of the plays that I had been to that were performing this play were all high school kids and maybe some a bit older. This play had elder people from the community, with of course some younger people in the mix as well. The set was small and the whole cast and clothes were much different than any version I had scene. The venue was a small place that is actually part of the college in my town, but is mainly used for small community events. I thought the wide variety of age groups in this play really brought a whole new aspect to what I was watching. I had always had to imagine high schoolers as an old man, but now it was easier and simpler. I enjoyed that.

I thought that this play was a great sense of Huzinga's elements of play. I know that all plays probably should have this, but that's the one that's in my head right away now when I think of "play." It had the sense of no boundaries, community, and time and space. I don't know, I just thought that it was good to have that thought in my head while watching a play and pic out things that would remind me of certain parts of those thoughts. I definitely enjoyed myself, even thought it was the bajillionth time I have seen it, but I what I really enjoyed was being able to watch it this time with a whole new perspective.

Josh Gerritts


I went to see my cousin perform in a version of this play over Thanksgiving Break at her high school in Appleton. The theater was medium sized and the cast used for the play consisted of high school students. The props and staging for the play were not extensively done as it was a high school class performing the play, but the way the props were utilized made them seem much more important. The small number of props made the desert scenes seem more barren and dry than I thought was possible on stage. The students had really designed the sets to cause the audience to feel the despair in the play where it was needed. Coupled with this, I felt the costume designers did a wonderful job of portraying the characters as I would want them to be seen. During times of despair in the play it was evident in the bland colors that were used to clothe characters, but at joyous times, like during the up beat songs, there was a radiance of bright colors on the stage which added to the atmosphere and the mood of the play over all.

Because I went to the play with it in mind to focus on the set and design of the play, I was not too surprised to see the set to have as few props as it did. I was surprised with how effectively they were used. I would say that it had a very conventional feel because the students embraced their limitations and used it to express an overall feeling in the play, emptiness. It was reminiscent of the set of "Holy Days" that we toured because the students were able to use the expanse of space on the stage to create an atmosphere for the play.


Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Winona Senior High School Auditorium, Winona MN.

Ben Knuesel


So I watched this play about a week before we started class. I thought that if I can think back on that, I can really understand how much I have learned. I remmeber walking out of that play thinking my goodness what was that. The setting was darn near nothing and it was quite dark to say the least. I guess that is really what caught my eye the most was the props. There was a very minimal amount of props at all. It made the audience really use their imagination to figure out what was going on and why certain props were used and others. I think for themost part, the audience got it, but at the beggining, I had no clue what was going on. I went with my Mom, Dad, and brother. All three of them seemed to completely understand what was going on the entire time, but all I got out of it was that this barber was nuts and the budget must have been quite low because they forgot a whole lot of props. IT was interesting to say the least.

So now looking back at it, this is definitely a stylistic approach to theatre. I definitely did not appreciate it then, but now at least I know that it was a legitimate interpretation and it seems like it was probably written to be that way. I thought that this was much more on the paidia type of play, and very illusory. The props forced you to imagine what the whole would be, but gave you enough information to figure it out. There didn't seem to be all to many rules that they had to follow. It all seemed quite crazy, but they did a great job of singing. The props again is really what stuck out at me and I would have to say that the illusory effect was the biggest part I could relate to this class. Overall I didn't really like the play, but that's just a not very cultured play enthusiasts opinion (me), not the greatest source to say the least.


Chicago (Best of Broadway Dance)

NIU School of Theatre and Dance, O'Connell Theatre

Karissa Miller


I went to go see this play and, again, did not really know what to expect because I had never seen "Chicago" the musical before. I thought it was very entertaining to say the least. What struck me the most was the provocative dancing and costumes that were in the play. I did not know if it was just this play, or if it was in the nature of the play, universally. After looking at various videos of other performances of the same play, I can see that it really is in the nature of the play. I really enjoyed this play, though. I found myself being enveloped in the play because it wasn't like anything I had ever seen before. It was dramatic, it was powerful, and the actors, actresses, and/or dancers seemed to be very talented (though I wouldn't know any different if they weren't). I would definitely say that this play was successful in drawing in the audience's attention and making it as interesting and captivating as possible.

The most obvious connection to class to me was the exaggeration throughout the play. From the dramatic costumes to the dramatic props, this musical used the exaggerated convention to make the play give off its powerful and bold statement that it was aiming at (corruption and crime within Chicago). It was more suggestive/provocative than I was expecting, and its costumes and dancing are what especially gave me that vibe. Furthermore, I would have to say that this play leaned more toward the "ludus" end, rather than paidia. There were many restrictions that were involved while the play was taking place. I suspect that the dancers/actors were given very particular, exact scripts and stage directions--hence, the choreographed dances. If the dancers did not all flow together, it could be a distraction from the play. From this, as an audience, we are reminded that we are actually watching a musical and not real life, as we see the performance take place. We know that in real life, in the given situations, nobody would literally sing and dance through them. Coming from the audience, I think this play was more effective and luring than usual because of where it was actually set--in a theater just about an hour west of Chicago. I believe this play, when it was first produced, hit home the most to the residents of Chicago, obviously. Thus, people from the area are going to have more of a "feeling" for the play than, say, a person from the east or west coast. From the time the audience sees the title of the play, "Chicago," they may make an immediate connection. This is definitely an advantage for the company putting on the play--to already have the audience's attention and sincere interest. Also, in Dyer's "Entertainment and Utopia," he talks about how the "grind" is showed through "energy," and "monotonous" with "intensity." I believe this musical did exactly these two things. In particular, the dance/song where the girls were dancing behind/with jail bars, the tempo of the song was extremely "catchy." For this reason, it seemed like a very "intense" imitation of their feelings with its strong beat accompanying it. Also, it was obvious of the abundance of energy on the stage that represented the grind, the corruption, that the play was trying to portray.


Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

McHenry High School Theater Department, McHenry High School

Janie Ragsdale

I went to see my local high school’s production of “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” having no prior knowledge of the play, and had no idea what to expect walking in to the small high school theater, with not even the title of the play giving me some sort of idea of what was going to happen. The play, it turned out, was set in Mississippi, and followed the family of a tycoon called “Big Daddy” who is unknowingly dying of cancer as his family gathers to celebrate his birthday. I thought it was an interesting play. It examined a lot of issues within the family that were very real, and were also very intense issues for a high school play, all of which were handled and performed surprisingly well, from dishonesty, death, alcoholism, and struggles with identity, sexuality, and relationships.

In relation to the class, I found that this play is a great example of realism. The characters and the relationships they have with one another all felt very real and true to life, as did the well they spoke, the costuming, and the set design, all of which tried to convey the setting of a Southern home. The play didn’t require any outside knowledge of the situation like many non-realist plays, as it examined struggles that most people have found themselves enduring, or will endure, particularly in the relationships of the family members and facing death, and overall it was easy to accept the events taking place on stage as “real” while watching, and really made me think about my own life and my own relationships.


Season's Greetings

North Shore Center for Performing Arts

Kate Sugrue


Season’s Greetings was the first play that I have gone to at the North Shore Center of Performing Arts. I had no idea what to expect about the play, but I assumed that it probably had to do with the holidays. I was very surprised when I learned what the play was about. This was because the play was based on a London family, which I did not know before the play, and it was about how dysfunctional they can be around the holidays. This play included many drunk people, family affairs, and family fights. Overall, I loved this play because they talked a lot about Christmas and Boxing Day, which I’ve always wondered about. After the play I talked with several of my cousins from England and they confirmed that there are certain Boxing Day traditions that were seen in the play.

When relating this play to class, I noticed that this play exemplifies realism. The point of this play was to show how a realistic family is around the holidays and the writer of the play definitely succeeded with this task. The set of the play was perfect because the audience was able to see the front door leading into the house, the living room with the Christmas tree and the dining room. There were several characters in this play including three married couples, a sister, her boyfriend, and a great uncle. This play showed the everyday bickering and how most husbands expect the wives to do everything when it comes to cooking, cleaning, and hosting for the holidays.

Overall, I loved this play. I went into it without having a clue about what it was about. It ended up being extremely funny and a play that taught me about what many of my relatives do for the holidays in England.


Holy Days

Helfaer Theater, Marquette University

Carly Smith


I went to see Holy Days and although I had seen the stage design I did not know what to expect with the acting. The performances that I have seen in the past have all been musicals and I knew this one would be much more serious, have no singing, and use the same background and props throughout. I wasn't sure how this would change my perspective, if I would notice any difference, or whether I would even enjoy it. I think the main difference that did stand out was that I didn't even feel like a was watching a play. I sat in the front row which made me feel like I was practically onstage. Also because the kitchen setting was so realistic right in front of me I felt like i was just listening in on a conversation the whole time. I think this play was a very good example of the realism that we have been talking about in class. I really felt like I could connect with all of the characters in the play. It was interesting to see what can be done with so few people in a cast. think this play does a wonderful job of demonstrating that a lot really can be taken away from a story if it is well performed even if the background is fairly simple and there are only 4 actors.

It has been very interesting to learn about the design process and see some of the work in progress as we did in class, and then go and see the production once everything has been perfected. When the design team was explaining to us how the back drop and lighting would work and why it was so important that the props be realistic I had a hard time picturing how this would work and why this was so important (probably because I don't know very much about theater). I have to say that after seeing the play this makes so much more sense to me! I thought it was awesome that there was a real ice box used and that there was actually dust all over the furniture in the opening scene. It seems very difficult to try to make the audience feel as if they are in a dust storm and I think this was very well portrayed especially through the sound and lighting. Overall I really enjoyed the play, which I would not have expected simply based on the historical topic and production style. It grabbed my attention more than many of the performances I have seen and I think this is largely due to the fact that it seemed real as opposed to breaking into song and dance and wearing crazy costumes.

Courtney Cotter


I saw Marquette University perform Holy Days on Saturday. I thought it was so awesome that we had been able to take the "field trip" to the scene shop and to see the beginnings of the set building. I loved way the stage was built to curve in the front and I really do think that the set designers accomplished their goal of creating "expansive hope dust". I honestly wasn't sure on how I would like a show on the "Dust Bowl" with a unchanging set and only four characters but I heard it was quite short and I figured I would give it a try. The show was done extremely well.

I was very impressed with the blend of realism and expressionism I saw on the stage. It was clear that these were supposed to be real people with a real backstory and that this was a slice of their life in a terrible time. The lighting design was the best part of the show in my opinion though. It really was the sole vision of hope. When the characters went into their selected monologues and the never-ending beige and tan sky turned light pink and purple you could really see how hopeful the characters were. It really let you in on the inside as they broke the fourth wall leaning further toward expressionism we have discussed in class. I am just constantly impressed by what Marquette University puts up on their stage. Although I probably would have preferred to see "Grapes of Wrath" if I was going to see a show based on the "Dust Bowl" this smaller, simpler production was also very good and I can say that I feel the cast and crew portrayed their message to the audience very well with the limits this script presented.

Jasmine Mack


When I went to see Holy days on Saturday, November 19, 2011, it was defiantly worth my money. I was contemplating on which show I should go to complete my requirements for the play reviews in this class when Mr. Jerving allowed us to have a class meeting in the theatre that the production was planned to take place. When first seeing how the stage was set up I was really interested in how the theatre company was going to pull off the production. I was very pleased with the acting especially the acting of our own fellow classmate. Before seeing the play, I was concerned about them meeting the theme intentions. I am happy to say that I defiantly felt like I was a part of that time period during a dusty storm. The special effects, lightning, staging, costumes, and acting where very well done.

The staging cast did a very good job with making the play as realistic as possible. The shabby framework of a house truly became the focus point of a slice of life from the dust bowl era. I noticed that the costumes even had ware and tare to it as if the characters were truly removed from a place in time and brought to the stage just like in Assassins. There was much expressionism during the play that I appreciated. The lighting design helped out with this aspect of the play. For example the scene when the lady was awakened out of her depression showed expressionism because it showed her inner change before she even got a chance to speak. The lighting during this monologue warmed up the theatre. There was also a moment were the characters broke the forth wall which allowed for a more intimate relationship between the audience and the actors. In all I enjoyed myself and was very impressed with the Marquette drama team.

Carly Marwitz


When I went to see Holy Days I think I was expecting there to be a larger time frame in which the play took place but they focused on only a couple of days. Because we had already gone to see the set design and part of the costume mock up it wasn’t much of a surprise except for the huge backdrop. The lighting that one of the designers tried to explain came out much more stunning than he really vocalized because it drew the eye and set the tone much more aptly than I had anticipated. I think that the minimalistic scenery was a huge advantage for the four actors because the focus had to be on what they were saying and doing rather than all of the distracting background details that they could have included. The actors themselves portrayed the emotions particularly well when it was such a dreary play. When they were supposed to be wistful you got hope and a sense of lingering disappointment. When they were depressing you felt their pain. It both captured the history of the dustbowl and the emotional desperation that occurs with the loss of a loved one, especially when it’s a child. So I thought it was a success that was worth seeing even if you left the theater sadder then when you entered.

I think the easiest thing we see in Holy Days is the perfect blend of realism and expressionism. Both in the props and in the characters/actors dialogue is both the sense that these things are a replica of something the really occurred and it looked like this and that some of it is slightly exaggerated to ‘express’ the main themes of the play visually for the audience. By having real, historical props brought in for the actors to use of stage we see a certain dedication in the realist rendition that would be lost if the scenic producers just put a mix mash of time pieces that aren’t true to the story. The house, or room, that most of the play is in is the most expressionist piece of the play because we know that it is a representation of a house without being accurate in that it would match a 3-d model but rather a 2-d indicator for what it represents that the audience already knows and doesn’t have to be explained. The lighting is another aspect of the expressionism of the play in that the light outside in reality doesn’t change to fit the mood of the people who are talking. The play of light, shadows, and color give the play an unrealistic account of the lives of the characters but rather show in a much more visible way the emotions that aren’t readily ascertained by their faces. In light of the prop design and the actors’ dedication to accent and movement we have a dichotomy of realism and expressionism of the stage which work out nicely in the end.

Kate Sugrue


Holy Days was the first play that I have seen at Helafer Theater. Since we saw the set in class, I somewhat knew what to expect. I knew what is was going to look like and I had an idea about what the costumes looked like. However, I was very off when predicting what the play would be like. I thought that all of the actors were amazing and that they accomplished the true meaning of the play. I thought that how the stage was set up really helped with the play. In the audience from every seat you were able to see the clothing line and get an idea of how it was supposed to be set up and where everything was.

From what we have learned in class, I thought that the play related to realism. The costumes and the set we’re perfect for this play. Everything down to the shoes matched this period of time including the old ice box and kitchen set up. At the beginning of the play, before any of the characters came out, a dust bowl was created. The lighting and background effects made the play look very real. It was definitely a good set up for the start of the play because then the audience figured out what had previously happened.

Nadiyah Johnson


This play was very captivating and emotional. I enjoyed watching this play because of the great acting and the realistic scenery provided. In the very beginning, the play opened up with dark orange lighting, with smoke filling the stage to give a resemblance to dust and clouds. I like that the melancholy mood was set in the introduction which helps the audience to grasp an understanding of the direction the play was heading. Each character in the play had their own soliloquy which also helped in giving the audiences insight on what was occurring in the play. Although there was not a major plot in the play the climax of the play was seemed to be the revelation of the tragedy that led them to the state they were in.
The play was about a fictional tragedy that occurred in historical times, the author of the play also managed to slip in several comical moments as well.

I noticed that there was frequently to contrasting personalities on stage at the same time which helped to keep the audience tuned in. For example one character was optimistic and the other character was extremely pessimistic. One character might have been overly perky while another character was morbid. It was fun to watch how interested the characters with contrasting personalities interacted with one another. I feel that the contrast in personalities was symbolic of the situation at hand. While one character continued to mourn a life another character was creating life.

Adam McMahon


Upon seeing “Holy Days” I was initially surprised with how far the set had come along in the short couple of weeks since our tour. The set “inside” of the house was much more developed, and the physical props on stage (ie. Kitchen table, clothesline) blended well with the backdrop, creating a convincing illusion. This play was unlike any I had seen before. It had a simple storyline, and mainly focused on the aftermath of Rosie and Gant’s son. The story climaxed with Gant’s departure to a federal work program. I enjoyed how a simple storyline made for legitimately dramatic theatre. With the exception of Easter Sunday, the tone of the play was very seriously, both in light of the depression and the death of the child. I felt that all four actors did a superb job capturing the feel of the time, and expressing the woes of the Dust Bowl.

“Holy Days” connects with class in several ways. First of all, there was the element of “breaking the fourth wall.” In class, we saw this in “Haunted House,” a production much different than “Holy Days.” However, the technique has the same effect. Through talking directly to the audience, characters can better explain their emotions to the audience, and give insight to the thoughts of the characters (much like the purpose of “Haunted House”’s use of the technique). Secondly, the costume and kitchen design followed the Realist form of set design. We were told during the tour that everything in the kitchen was true to date, and that really helped recreate the Dust Bowl on stage. The dress of the performers also gave way to this illusion, each of the characters were not only dressed in clothes of that era, but also were engulfed with dust. The producer could have very well chose to simulate the dust storms with the sound of the wind, however, he or she chose do actually bring the dust on stage.

Chelsea Kornacki


I was very interested to see this play after we went to the Helfaer Theater during class. I was impressed with how the design came together after we saw the bits and pieces that were already completed as well as the ideas to complete the design. I was most looking forward to seeing how four characters could portray the effects of the Dust Bowl, as most plays I have seen included a much larger cast list, often seeming to create characters just to include the largest number of actors possible. After seeing Holy Days, however, I realized how effective a small cast could be. The actors were able to portray a very strong family dynamic which I believe would have been difficult with a large cast. This play also required some background knowledge of the depression, as well as the family history, in order to avoid confusion. I heard many people explaining that the actors were often referring to the death of a child.

The design team chose to find props that were as realistic as possible. The kitchen supplies were time-period appropriate. They also included actual dirt and dust that was consistently being brushed off of the tables and pounded out of the clothing. The kitchen table was covered by a cloth when not being used in order to keep the dust off of it, which actually occurred during the dust bowl. The clothing worn by the actors was also indicative of the time period. Each of these things was done to keep the production as similar to the reality of the dust bowl as possible. Another way the production relates to class discussion is by the breaking of the fourth wall. The actors often spoke directlyto the audience rather than addressing the other characters. This allowed the audience to hear the characters thoughts and emotions.

Josh Gerritts


I went to see this play after our tour of the theater because I wanted to see how the set design had turned out. On top of that, I wanted to see how the cast would look when they were dressed in full costume, the set complete, and the lighting of the stage in operation. The main reason I wanted to see this aspect of this play was because we were able to hear what the designer's were aiming for and I wanted to experience their finished product and decide for myself if they had accomplished their goals. Upon seeing the stage initially during the show, I was surprised by how well everything had come together. What really set the staging apart from that of other plays I have seen was the way the lighting completely set the atmosphere. With the staging complete, the stage look barren as was planned but it still looked like it was modern times. The lighting technician programmed the lights in a way that really made the theater feel like it was surrounded by clouds of dust using color.

This design connected with the class through use of realism in the way the house was constructed. The crew that made the staging tried to make the house appear as if it was located in a dust storm during the Dust Bowl. On top of using artifacts and design that matched the time period to give a realistic feel, the crew also used some illusory techniques to cause the audience to feel the emotion of the play. The missing boards on the house and colors of light gave a sense of expanse and hopelessness. The color of the light and the use of the light also flooded the theater with a sandy colored light, causing the audience to feel as if they too were covered by sand with no escape.

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers

Fireside Theatre

Naomi Weyaus


I went to the Fireside Theatre a few weeks ago and saw a performance of the classical Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. Seven Brides for Seven brothers happens to be one of my favorite movies that I watched as a child, i knew all of the words and all of the songs since i was very young so going to see this performed live was a very exciting thing for me.

The stage was set up a little differently than I was used to, instead of haveing the audience sit on one side of the theatre with only the front view of the stage where the actors could step behind a curtain and not be seen, as what is done in most theatres; this stage was open to everywhere and the audience surrounded it. The actors had to use the same walkways as the audience did when coming and leaving the stage. At first I was a little concerned with the lack of space that the actors had, as this play has many large dance numbers and wild movements, but my concerns were unwarrented. The actors were very professional and used all of their wit and devices that the small theatre allowed them. They were somehow able to utilize the small and open stage to their advantage in this play. the audience was so close to the actors that it truly felt like we were in the play as well. I felt closer to the charecters when they were so close and so open becuase i could see all of the miniscule things that might not be seen from a traditional stage setting such as tiny facial and hand movements that were specific to that charecter.

To say the least this performance of one of my favorite movies of all time did not disappoint! I found myself still laughing along at the funny lyrics of the lonsome polecat song, and laughing even harder at the antics of the seven brothers when they decided they only way to marry the girls of their dreams was to kidnap them. In this performance it was as much about the actors experience as it was the playwrights. I sometimes feel that the playwright never gets credit where it is deserved and when a performance this great is put on they deserve some praise indeed!


Driving Miss Daisy

Milwaukee Chamber Theatre, Broadway Theatre Center

Tim Braun


This afternoon I saw DRIVING MISS DAISY. This was the fourth production I have seen at Milwaukee Chamber Theatre; I actually worked at the theatre last semester as their artistic intern. This production was wonderful. The show itself is sweet and heartwarming and the director, actors and designers did an amazing job bringing the script to life. The show tells the story of an elderly Jewish woman (Daisy) whose son hires her an African American driver (Hoke); the play takes place over the course of their 25 year relationship. The play is made up of small scenes and monologues that explore the complex relationship of Daisy and Hoke. The woman who played Daisy was so honest and likable; she delivered the strongest performance by far. The director, Michael Wright created a very entertaining afternoon of theatre; there were many subtle moments that added to the power of the show.

This show was really unlike anything we have studied thus far in class. But it still borrowed elements from each category we have looked at. There were very specific character types, much like musical comedy. The actors were cast according to type; an old lady, etc. The costumes were very realistic but the set was more abstract. It was not realistic but it still conveyed the feeling of the various locations. The representative stage designs was reminiscent of verbatim theatre. DAISY definitely comments on the social movement at the time; much like how plautine comedy commented on Greek culture.

Overall, I loved the show. I laughed, I cried and I left the theatre feeling a sense of pride that I am going to be a theatre professional.


Little Shop of Horrors

Helfaer Theater, Marquette University

Carly Smith


Little Shop of Horrors was the second play I’ve seen done by Marquette’s Department of Performing Arts and it was really interesting to compare to 25th Annual Putnam Country Spelling Bee, which I saw last year. I really liked the stage set up and the way in which the plant was brought to life. From the beginning of the play I was curious as to how the plant, Audrey Two, was moving in sync with the music and who was inside. I also think that everyone in the play fit their roles perfectly. I especially liked how there were 3 girls, Crystal, Ronnette and Chiffon who were always off on the side of the stage but had large roles in singing songs that narrated the story. This really helped me to get some background on the setting and what exactly was going on at each point in the play.

In thinking about what we have talked about in class I noticed that at one point there was a male customer who played the role of a woman entering the flower shop. I found this interesting because in class we talked about how this is more commonly seen in verbatim theater like Twilight as opposed to a modern musical which tends to choose the cast based on who looks, fits and plays the role best. There was also a lot of exaggeration involved even in the simple idea of the play being about a giant plant that eats people. The strong emotions and exaggerated dialogue played a large role in the comedy of the play, despite the fact that it was also a “horror” story.

Karissa Miller


I also went to see Little Shop of Horrors, and I really had no idea what to expect. I only knew that the play was about a plant that lived off of blood. With this said, I had little faith in how "interesting" and "comedic" this play could be. I was definitely surprised how entertaining, how intriguing the Little Shop of Horrors was. I definitely think this play succeeds in finding comedy within certain things that almost everyone understands or has been through. For example, Seymour's boss served as the typical rude, disinterested, and terrible boss. The relationship between Seymour and Mushnik (the boss) is anything but close and/or loving. However, the play has a rather comical scene in which Mushnik asks Seymour to take him as his father, obviously for all the wrong reasons, but the comedy in this scene really struck me (as entertaining and comedic).

When relating Little Shop of Horrors to what we've talked about in class, I definitely saw many similarities between this play and musical comedies as well as Plautine comedy. Just like in How to Succeed in Business, this play had stereotypical characters which were exaggerated to some extent. There was Audrey, the airhead woman who is with a loser for no good reason, Seymour, the charming nerd (like the clever slave in Plautine comedy), and Mushnik, the boss who is, of course, a jerk. I would say that almost everyone in the audience can identify with one of the characters in this play in the sense that he or she knows someone just like that--whether it be in the workplace, in his/her social circle, or from anywhere else. Like Plautine comedy, the set of this play was simple for the most part. It included a city/plant store backdrop with a few doors, and a few props as well. Overall, I saw many elements that we've talked about in class in this play.

Courtney Cotter


I saw Marquette University perform Little Shop of Horrors tonight in the Helfaer Theatre. It really is one of my favorite musicals so i was very excited to see it. In overview the show was excellent. There was definitely some talent in the cast and it was clear that they were all dedicated to their characters. Since I have some theatrical background I feel that it is only fair that I express some of my very slightly critical thoughts as well.

I was very disappointed in the lack of detail in the costumes and set. There is so much that can be done with this show's costuming for Audrey and the Trio girls: Chrystal, Ronette, and Chiffon that I felt was left as almost a second thought in this production. I also had a very difficult time hearing some of the actors singing because the instrumentation was very loud and the actors' microphones were limited. I do believe that the cast set out to do what they set out to do. They each played their characters very believably and with shining dedication. They audience was transported to "Skid Row" where we were sucked into the dilemmas Seymour faced and caught up the success of the flower shop and Audrey II.

This brings to attention the sense of vertigo that Callois says is prevalent in our play. The audience was completely sucked into the performance and certain aspects of the play certainly moved me. (A sign of true talent in an actor!) It also brings to call the idea of play as work. A majority of these students are majoring in Theatre Arts meaning that they plan to continue acting as their way of providing for themselves and their families. It was obvious that these students enjoy what they are doing and that it must be their passion if that's what they have decided to dedicate their life to but it calls into question whether or not if and when they begin to make money in the theatre world if it is still play. It was an example of musical theatre, which is a type of dramatic literature that we have studied in the course as well there fore, there are certain aspects of this form of drama that we as audience members should anticipate. The play asks the audience to pretend a little with them. We’re supposed to know that in songs the characters are actually thinking out-loud and that only the audience can hear them (not the other characters on stage). We’re also supposed to believe that an alien plant actually could exist and that there really would be a sadistic dentist who could kill himself with Nitrous Oxide and could actually practice using rusty tools without being shutdown for malpractice.

Julia Hibbard


I attended a performance of Little Shop of Horrors at the Helfaer Theater. I found the overall experience enjoyable, but also found some pieces lacking in content. The main two characters, Seymour and Audrey, were portrayed quite well. Both actors gave a solid performance. Yet, they brought nothing new to their characters. The actor playing Seymour, Tim Braun, played him as one might expect. He was clumpsy and akward. Almost to the point of asburd. Miss Alexandra Bonesho, who portrayed Audrey, did nothing more then mimic the epic performance of Ellen Greene, but to a lesser success. Still, I found the minimal stage dressing and the small size of the stage provided the audience with a view of all performers with no distractions. The only true let down was the lack luster performance of Armando Ronconi as Orin Scrivello. He was not accepted well by myself and most of the audience. Amusing and funny lines by his character were not received well by the audience. I actually felt uncomfortable watching him perform because he was unable to capture the essence of his character.

When watching the the play Little Shop of Horrors it reminded me of all of the aspects of musical comedy. In musical comedy one does expect to see characters that are larger then life, problems that seem all but impossible to overcome and relationships that do not appear to be the type most people would want to have in real life. All of these and more were seen in the musical, Little Shop of Horrors. Seymour is a character that is orphaned, simple of mind, but has a heart that is big as the great outdoors. Audrey, she dresses in skimpy outfits, dates a man that beats her and has a heart that is golden. Mr. Mushnik is greedy, mean and cares only for himself. Each of these characters gives the audience a view of good and bad and allows them to root for the good guys.


Steven Wright

Pabst Theater Milwauke, WI

Sam Batley


I went to see Steven Wright at the Pabst theater on October 6, and I have to say that it was delightful. Steven Wright is a stand-up comedian from Boston and he mostly does one-liners. His natural voice is very low and he speaks in monotone which actually adds to the humor, especially because the content of his jokes is on the edge of insanity. The audience is never quite sure if he is clinically insane or a genius. I have seen his specials, and his material for this show was a mix between old stuff and he had a lot of new stuff. None the less he is a great performer and he had the entire audience howling with laughter.

When I saw this performance I was in awe to see somebody who has been in the business so long and still be as fresh as he was. I think this may have to do with Caillois’ idea of agon. I say this because when he first started there is a lot of competition to be better than his peers, and there is competition amongst the greats to become greater. Stand-up comedy can have the image of being just another type of performance, but it is truly a difficult performance type where the performer has to pour his life in front of an audience. I think having the skill he does now, he has surpassed some of the greats.


Open-mic

Comedy Cafe Milwaukee, WI

Sam Batley


I am a very big fan of stand-up comedy. I watch performances both live and recorded, and I have listened to probably hundreds of interviews of stand-up comedians. I am truly interested in, what in my opinion, this art form. The one thing that I have not been able to do is go and see new comedians go up on a stage and give it a try. So I went to the Comedy Café where there is an open mic every Wednesday and watched some struggling comedians try new material. The venue is perfect for stand up: it is dark, it has a well lit stage, and all the seats are facing the stage. A lot of laces do not cater to their performers this well.

When I was watching the performances of several performers I realized that there are two things going on. They are Roger Caillois’ theories of agon and alea. There is a competition during these open mics to see who will be emcee at the next open mic, they will do a set before the headliner that weekend, and win $25. All the comedians in this competition bring their best stuff and see if they can win the coveted prize. Alea happens after the competition because that is when the open mikers come out and give comedy a shot. They are gambling and taking a chance to see if what they think is funny is also funny to other people. Also they have to see if they can handle their nerves when they get on stage. There is some bombing, but it is all about giving it one shot.

Chirstopher Paolini
naomi weyaus

After thinking long and hard about whether this particular occasion would count as a performance review I decided it did. I went to go see Christopher Paolini: author of the Eragon series at the Pabst Theater in Milwaukee. The Eragon series happens to be one of my favorite book series and getting the chance not only to hear Christopher talk about his books but also meet him was one I couldn't miss. I decided that this would count as a performance, though it wasn't a traditional play like Seven Brides for Seven Brothers was, after we talked in class about performance in every day life and after doing research for my essay. Christopher Paolini like many people acted in life whether he knew it himself or not, and through his books was able to express himself as he wished.

The Pabst was a decently large theater, so large I was afraid i wasn't going to get a good seat and wouldn't be able to see him properly. My fears were unfounded however and I got a great seat. The show started off with a demonstration in classical sword fighting. This was appropriate as in the Eragon series there are many many battles with swords, also with magic and dragons as well though they weren't at the Pabst. after getting the audience riled up Christopher himself came on the stage. I was ecstatic, I had only met one author in my lifetime, a local childrens' author from Minnesota, and Christopher is one of my favorites. When he got up on stage he began talking to the audience telling us how Eragon came to be and his Childhood leading him to write the book. The audience was enthralled, though it was a very structured time with him it felt very unstructured at the same time. The crowd laughed and swooned and sighed all together. When it came time to ask the author questions I knew that this was my chance, he was going to answer my question if it was the last thing I did. I could feel my hear pounding in my chest, in front of all these people I was going to ask the question that had been bothering me since I finished the first book of the series, and now that the last book had finally come out I would find the answer to my burning question. When he would call on a person from the audience everyone would put their hands down and wait for them to finish before raising their hands again. I refused to put my hand down, I know for a fact I have an unparalleled skill at becoming invisible but he was going to notice me I was making sure of it. Then he finally saw me and for the 30 seconds it took me to ask my question to the 3 minutes it took him to answer it, the world stopped moving. I did it! I talked in a giant room of people to one of my favorite authors in the whole world without throwing up! Someone had even gotten a question from the one I asked! Everything went perfectly.

This performance had me absolutely immersed. It didn't need realistic Dragons or actual magic to make everything real and exciting for me. I could see the dragons he read about from the passages in his books I could hear the tinkling of the elves laughter when he spoke in the ancient language and hear the hammers of the dwaves when he spoke in their guttral tones. This made me think about fifteen stings of cash where not everything was present but represented and i wondered while reading it how anyone could enjoy such a set. now I know. At the end of his time on stage it was time to go get our books signed. I was incredibly excited and could hardly contain myself. The friend I brought with me was at first highly amused as I bounced in line and talked rapidly non-stop in a voice an octave higher than my own. He then grew increasingly concerned as we made our way forward. I began to grow steadily warmer, he could see my face and ears turning red and see as i struggled to breathe. What he didn't see was the war going on inside my body, I had to use the bathroom, I didn't have to use the bathroom, I was going to throw up, I wasn't going to throw up, I wanted to leave, I wanted to stay. The wars with myself were almost too much when I reached the front of the line, and I still had no idea what I was going to say to the Man. Finally he took my book and for 3 agonizingly long seconds I froze, here I was meeting the man who helped me escape my reality and become someone who was as brave as I always wanted to be instead of the coward I am. Through him I managed to little by little each day act braver and smarter than I was to become who I wanted to be. Then I spoke to him, rapidly thanking him for his books and scolding him for his treatment of my favorite character. It was all over then. My friend and I left the theater, and my friend was shocked to see that I was in tears. He had thought that I was upset about something but really I was incredibly pleased and had just experienced an emotional roller coaster like I had not experienced before. I want to be an author myself and meeting someone who made his own dreams come true was something I didn't take lightly. Though this wasn't a traditional theater performance, I do think it fits the criteria of one, as I learned about Christopher's journey and my own performance not to let Christopher see that meeting him made me cry.

JerseyBoys

Jersey Boys Tour group,MarcusCenter

Julia Hibbard

I attended a performance of Jersey Boys, the Story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons at theMilwaukeeMarcusCenter. I was not expecting to enjoy this musical as much as I did. I knew some of the music by Frankie Valli, but the majority of the music was from decades before I was even born. This musical tells the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. How they met. How they got along. And the laughter and tears behind the music. I enjoyed the musical because it gave a first person view of the history of the group. There were four parts in the musical. Each part was narrated by one of the band members. The back stories they told were honest, heartfelt, sad and at many times amusing. I learned a lot about theater that night. I learned that when a play hits upon honesty and allows you a first hand view of the good and bad in a tale, it plays upon not only your heart, but your mind. I found myself not only caring for these characters, but questioning their choices and thinking about things that might have been if a different path was chosen.

In class it was said that musicals can be over dramatic. I didn’t find this to be true in this musical. I believe that because it was based upon the true facts of the group that there was very little that was over dramatic. I think in a case of a musical based on a true story, it has to be more down to earth to be believable. I did enjoy the backdrop. It was a two story stage where the upper stage was merely a catwalk. The use of lighting was very important. It allowed the audience to follow the narrator of each section of the play. It also gave the audience a glimpse into performances the band had given in different sites. Many times I was blinded by the lights reflecting off the guitars and some of the other props. The entire performance was scripted well and the staging perfect for the stories being told.